1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to devices used in spinal surgery and, more particularly, to devices for neuro monitoring and incision dilation in spinal surgery.
2. Background Information
When performing typical spinal surgery it is necessary for the surgeon to contend with and manage various aspects of the procedure. A major aspect of spinal surgery is being able to determine position of a nerve or nerves that are proximate the surgical site. This is necessary to avoid cutting or damaging the nerve or nerves during the surgical procedure.
After an incision is made the surgeon locates any spinal nerve or nerves at or proximate the surgical site (i.e. neuro monitoring) before the soft tissue is dilated in order to gain access to the specific surgical area. Currently, the process of neuro monitoring and then dilating the soft tissue to gain access to the specific surgical site involves using a sequence of right-cylinder dilation tubes of increasing diameters. After an initial or first right-cylinder dilation tube is inserted into the incision for neuro monitoring, additional right-cylinder dilation tubes of increasing diameter are positioned over each other until the specific surgical area is reached.
The problem with the prior art approach is that current sequence of right-cylinder dilation tubes dilate the incision circumferentially which keeps the center point of the initial right-cylinder dilation tube and the main working channel the same. With the prior art method, the surgeon must continually neuro monitor and potentially adjust the position of the working channel since the prior art right-cylinder dilation tubes grow circumferentially in diameter in all directions—which is both towards and away from the nerve position.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to overcome the prior art deficiencies of neuro monitoring and incision dilation for spinal surgery.